Los Altos Municipal Code Ch. 9.30 Camping and Storage of Personal Property in Public Areas

The public parks, streets, sidewalks and other public areas within the city should be readily accessible and available to residents and the public at large for their intended purposes. The purpose of this chapter is to maintain public areas within the city in a clean, sanitary, safe, attractive and accessible condition and to protect the health, safety, environment and general welfare of the community. In addition, the use of public areas for camping and sleeping interferes with the rights of others to use and enjoy those areas as they are intended.

(Ord. No. 2026-543, § 1, 4-28-2026; Ord. No. 2026-544, § 1, 4-28-2026)

For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

A.

"Bridge" means a structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression, roadway, waterway, or other obstacle.

B.

"Camping" means to set up or to remain in or at a campsite, including for living accommodation purposes such as sleeping, lying down, storing personal property, cooking, or using a tent, sleeping bag, blanket, or similar material for purposes of shelter.

C.

"Campsite" means any place where bedding, sleeping bag, or other material used for bedding purposes, or any stove or fire is placed, established, or maintained for the purpose of maintaining a temporary place to live, whether or not such place incorporates the use of any tent, lean-to, shack, or any other structure, or any vehicle or part thereof that does not comply with the parking regulations set forth in Title 8 of the Los Altos Municipal Code.

D.

"Encampment" means one or more persons camping on public property, including associated personal property, shelters, or structures.

E.

"Public property" means any real property located in the city and owned in fee title, or its equivalent, by the city or any Federal, State, or local government agency, including any street, sidewalk, park, trail, bicycle path, public parking lot, landscaped area, or other property owned or controlled by the city.

F.

"City" means the City of Los Altos, including its employees and agents.

G.

"Housing support services" means housing support services intended to connect a person with temporary or permanent housing resources.

H.

"Private property" means any real property located in the city and owned in fee title, or its equivalent, by a private person or entity. The fact that private property may contain an easement, lien, or other interest less than fee title, or its equivalent, by a governmental or public agency does not negate the status of the property as private property.

I.

"Sidewalk" means any area in the city provided for the use of pedestrians, including planting areas, driveway approaches or parking strips, between the public vehicular roadway and the edge of right-of-way bordering fronting or adjacent private property.

J.

"Semi-permanent structure" means any structure designed or intended to remain in place for more than transient use, including but not limited to hand-built sheds or structures with metal or rigid roofing or siding.

K.

"Personal belongings" has the meaning set forth in Section 9.30.050.

(Ord. No. 2026-543, § 1, 4-28-2026; Ord. No. 2026-544, § 1, 4-28-2026)

It is unlawful on any public property within the city:

A.

To occupy a campsite in or upon any sidewalk, street, alley, lane, public right-of-way, park, bench, or any other public property and/or under any bridge.

B.

To construct, place, or maintain any semi-permanent structure on public property for the purpose of sheltering one or more people.

(Ord. No. 2026-543, § 1, 4-28-2026; Ord. No. 2026-544, § 1, 4-28-2026)

A.

Except in exigent circumstances involving an imminent threat to life, safety, health, or infrastructure, each of the following shall be satisfied prior to enforcement of Section 9.30.030:

City officials, or any agent acting on their behalf, shall make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter at an emergency shelter, navigation center, or other appropriate housing, and offer supportive services, to persons living in the encampment.

City officials, or any agent acting on their behalf, shall post a notice to vacate in a prominent location at the encampment site at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the enforcement action. The notice shall include, at a minimum: (1) The anticipated date and time of the enforcement action; (2) information on services, including shelter, that are immediately available to persons living in the encampment; and (3) information on how unattended belongings will be handled on the day of the enforcement action, including what will be stored, how they can be recovered, and the date by which they must be claimed.

No enforcement operations shall begin earlier than the date and time on the notice to vacate.

B.

Where exigent circumstances require less than forty-eight (48) hours notice, the following shall be satisfied prior to enforcement of Section 9.30.030:

City officials, or any agent acting on their behalf, shall provide as much advance notice of enforcement as reasonably possible under the circumstances.

As soon as reasonably possible following the enforcement action, city officials, or any agent acting on their behalf, shall post notice at or near the encampment site describing where items taken during the enforcement action are stored, how they can be recovered, and the date by which they must be claimed.

(Ord. No. 2026-543, § 1, 4-28-2026; Ord. No. 2026-544, § 1, 4-28-2026)

A.

When the city obtains possession of personal belongings from a person for temporary safekeeping in connection with an enforcement action under this chapter, the city shall take responsibility for the storage, documentation, and disposition of the personal belongings.

B.

The city shall provide the person from whom the personal belongings were taken with a receipt and instructions for retrieval. The receipt and instructions shall be provided at the time the city obtains the personal belongings.

C.

The receipt and instructions required by subsection B shall notify the person from whom the personal belongings were taken that the belongings must be claimed within ninety (90) days after the city obtains possession.

D.

Personal belongings not reclaimed within ninety (90) days after the city obtains possession may be disposed of by the city.

E.

For purposes of this chapter, "personal belongings" include: (1) items of apparent monetary value of fifty dollars ($50.00) or more; and (2) items of apparent personal value, including but not limited to eyeglasses;

mobility devices and medical equipment; habitable tents; personal papers (photographs, identification, legal or financial documents); backpacks and containers; and operational bicycles, scooters, and strollers.

F.

The following items shall not be collected or stored: (1) items constituting a health or safety hazard, including but not limited to sharps or weapons; chemicals or unidentified liquids; items soiled by human waste or bodily fluids; moldy or mildew-infested items; items infested by rodents or insects; flammable materials, propane tanks, or fuel containers; (2) bulky items such as mattresses and sheds; (3) perishable food; and (4) trash, debris, contraband, or controlled substances. If personal belongings are commingled with hazardous materials or human waste, the entire pile or container may be disposed of.

(Ord. No. 2026-543, § 1, 4-28-2026; Ord. No. 2026-544, § 1, 4-28-2026)

A violation of this chapter involving a person who willfully resists, delays, or obstructs a city employee from enforcing this chapter or who willfully refuses to comply after being requested to do so by a city employee shall be punishable as a misdemeanor. All other violations of this chapter shall be enforceable as infractions pursuant to Chapter 1.20.

(Ord. No. 2026-543, § 1, 4-28-2026; Ord. No. 2026-544, § 1, 4-28-2026)